Our Story

When an executive of the Italian restaurant chain Buca Di Beppo fired Joe Busone, the longtime manager of the Chandler location, he might as well have fired much of the rest of the staff.

In an act of loyalty, seven servers and the hostess walked off the job late last month at the height of the dinner hour, forcing the restaurant to close for the night.

The dismissal might have chased away for good some loyal customers as well.

Busone, 53, had been the manager at Buca Di Beppo at Ray and Priest roads for eight years, and he had built a reputation as someone generous to community groups and loved by his staff.

Greg Geryak, who owns an insurance agency in Ahwatukee, had organized an annual dinner for the Ahwatukee Kiwanis Club at the restaurant. Forty people showed up for the 6 o’clock reservation….